On the one hand, this contains too much philosophy and ornate monologues than is considered acceptable for a decent movie. In other words, it seems it wants to play at being a novel. It might have worked better in the play, who knows - I've never seen it.
The character of the psychiatrist is compelling. He's struggling with many existential questions in both his personal and professional life, greatly exacerbated by his meeting with highly disturbed Alan Strang. Through him we come to think about religion, love, passion, and purpose in life.
Alan Strand is a bit more inscrutable. In many scenes he's just staring vacantly with his mouth half open or behaving erratically. What's more, I don't think the psychologist really gets at the crux of his problems by the end, but it seems that many striking and conflicting incidents of his life just caved in on him and he never figured out what he truly ought to believe.
It's a slow boil. Only near the end of the film do we get very powerful dramatic scenes that make the whole movie worthwhile.
It's too unfocused and experimental to be one of cinema's greats and also too long for what it is, but it does have its redeeming qualities.
Honourable Mentions: Batman: The Animated Series (1992). Introduces the character of Harley Quinn. She's a psychiatrist who meets the Joker and becomes obsessed with him, soon choosing to leave her life of professionalism and drudgery to become a madwoman at his side, where she suffers in an abusive relationship with him. Really one of the great and most compelling relationships in media and surprising it came from a children's TV show.
The character of the psychiatrist is compelling. He's struggling with many existential questions in both his personal and professional life, greatly exacerbated by his meeting with highly disturbed Alan Strang. Through him we come to think about religion, love, passion, and purpose in life.
Alan Strand is a bit more inscrutable. In many scenes he's just staring vacantly with his mouth half open or behaving erratically. What's more, I don't think the psychologist really gets at the crux of his problems by the end, but it seems that many striking and conflicting incidents of his life just caved in on him and he never figured out what he truly ought to believe.
It's a slow boil. Only near the end of the film do we get very powerful dramatic scenes that make the whole movie worthwhile.
It's too unfocused and experimental to be one of cinema's greats and also too long for what it is, but it does have its redeeming qualities.
Honourable Mentions: Batman: The Animated Series (1992). Introduces the character of Harley Quinn. She's a psychiatrist who meets the Joker and becomes obsessed with him, soon choosing to leave her life of professionalism and drudgery to become a madwoman at his side, where she suffers in an abusive relationship with him. Really one of the great and most compelling relationships in media and surprising it came from a children's TV show.